Design your possibilities. Stand out!
Premier academic institution Miriam College (MC), home of the creative generation, has announced the opening of its newest campus in North Luzon for the school year 2023-2024 in a press launch at the Alviera Country Club in Porac, Pampanga on Friday, November 26.
Located at the 1,800-hectare Alviera estate in Porac, Miriam College Alviera (MCA) will open its first academic year to college students in a co-educational learning system with programs in creative design, environmental planning, entrepreneurship, global affairs and education.
According to MC president Ambassador Laura Quiambao-del Rosario, MCA is designed to be a state-of-the-art campus for the creative and innovative minds of the next generations anchored on its core values of truth, peace, justice, and integrity of creation.
Over the years, MC has lived up to its values through its four advocacy centers: the Center for Peace Education, the Environmental Studies Institute, the Women and Gender Institute, and the Child Rights Advocacy Center. It upholds excellent education through its curriculum and program enhancements to develop its students’ confidence, conscience, and competence.
“One thing that we learned is that our students are not just involved in their careers, in their jobs or professions. We do advocate and I think we are known for this already. We look at academic training as a stepping stone for our graduates to see what they can do with those advocacies because these are the things that define the quality of life of any individual. It’s very idealistic yet these things cannot be measured,” said del Rosario.
“Right now, artisanship is gaining ground, especially in entrepreneurship. Pampanga is a great location to start this. Kapampangans are known to be creative and for their artisanship. We try to hone these skills and go beyond so we can further develop those who can design their future and their region through creative business and new ways of building the economy,” she added.
MCA will offer extension programs from MC Loyola to incoming college students in Pampanga and nearby provinces. Students will be challenged to do design thinking and project-based learning, to help develop their contemporary skills in the 21st century with critical thinking, communication and creativity.
These programs include: Bachelor of Design in Creative Industries, Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs and Diplomacy, Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning, and Master of Education in Curriculum and Teaching with Specialization in 21st Century Learning.
Del Rosario shared that MCA will also begin its Open College program to incoming students within two years as a lifelong education and development opportunity for young achievers. The program, del Rosario added, offers two-year degree courses that can be developed into its equivalent Baccalaureate Degree courses.
President del Rosario said MC has been looking at non-traditional approaches to getting college degrees for every learner. “By 2024, we will be opening what we call the LEAD Center which stands for Lifelong Education and Development. In this open college, courses can be ladderized to be built up into a four-year Baccalaureate degree program. For instance, if we have a two-year degree in digital arts, after another two years, it can be built into the Bachelor of Design program,” del Rosario explained.
These programs will be delivered online as part of MC’s ‘borderless education’ and is considered as its fourth campus.
MC Alviera is built on a 10-hectare property. The campus was designed by Arch. Ed Calma of Lor Calma & Partners and aims to integrate nature and innovative structures that inspire its students’ diverse learning.
Del Rosario added that MCA is also ready for HyFlex Learning which means students have the option whether they want to attend classes onsite or online. Teachers can hold hybrid classes to simultaneously engage with their students wherever they may be. “We are no longer limited by brick-and-mortar buildings. We want to be flexible so we can reach students abroad and around the area without them going physically on campus. We have students in Korea, the Middle East, and the United States, and they are attending classes in Miriam College. It will be the same concept in MC Alviera,” said del Rosario.
MCA also has an international partnership with Camosun College of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This reciprocal agreement will allow its students to earn undergraduate degrees,pursue postgraduate studies, and engage in academic and cultural exchanges from both colleges. This opens opportunities for student mobility, faculty exchange and intercultural and experiential exchange.
Founded in 1926 and formerly known as Maryknoll College, MC celebrates its upcoming
centennial anniversary by strengthening its significance on “veritas” as it pursues academic excellence. Del Rosario said MC will continue to follow the Maryknoll mission and vision, giving prominence to its commitment to truth.
“Our motto is veritas. It means truth in Latin. So, as we discover truth, with what is happening. We use the Maryknoll mission and vision to expand what we do. Those four advocacies are meant to strengthen the vision through out of classroom work and out of campus involvement,” she said.
“To us, the pandemic is not a disruption, it is just an inconvenience. It is also a good disruption because we can plan our school buildings better. We committed ourselves to start in 2023 and continue our partnership with Ayala Land. The COVID-19 might have given us not only another way of looking at buildings but also having new ways of learning,” she added.
Partnering with Alviera, a joint development of Ayala Land and Leonio Land, MCA complements its rising all-inclusive community as an economic and lifestyle center to urban living. As part of the business development plans, it envisions an established community in Pampanga focused on building the lives of the people, its communities, and the nation.
